BAYER LEGEND CALIFORNIA QUALIFIERS

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Czech N Out Ashley Tops Bayer Legend California Qualifiers



—JUNE 9, 2007—Salvador Salazar’s Czech N Out Ashley was strong in the last half of his 400-yard Bayer Legend California Derby trial to set the fastest qualifying from the two trials.
The horses with the 10 fastest times return for the finals on June 24. The winner of the derby qualifies for the $150,000 Bayer Legend Derby Challenge at Los Alamitos Race Course in Southern California in November.

Racing out of the Hector Jaime Hernandez stable and ridden by Alejandro Luna, the son of Corona Czech covered the 400 yards in :19.740.

Czech N Out Ashley is stakes-tested, having won back-to-back stakes. He won the Buccaneer Beach Handicap and Dillingham Handicap in March and May of this season at Los Alamitos Race Course.

Holy Seis, a gelded son of Tres Seis racing for Jesus Avila & Jesus Cuevas, won the second trial in :19.750 for the second fastest time of the time of the night. Trained by Adan Farias, Rodrigo Aceves was aboard.



Bayer Legend California Derby Challenge-G3 (06/24/2007)



Race: BAYER LEGEND CALIFORNIA DERBY CHALLENGE-G3
Track: LOS ALAMITOS RACE CORSE
Trials: JUNE 8, 2007
Final: JUNE 24, 2007
Purse: $30,000-ADDED
Age: 3-YEAR-OLDS
Distance: 400 YARDS

Horse Sex Sire-Dam, Dam Sire Time Owner Breeder Trainer Jockey

Czech N Out Ashley g. Corona Czech--Auspicious Ashley, by Splash Bac :19.740 Salvador Salazar Rick Hodson (WY) Hector Jaime Hernandez Alejandro Luna

Holy Seis g. Tres Seis--Runaway Prima Donna, by Runaway Winner :19.750 Jesus Avila & Jesus Cuevas Jarrod Brown (OK) Adan Farias Rodrigo Aceves

Royal Bridlewood g. Bridlewood--This Lady Is Royal, by First Down Dash :19.800 Jon L. Henderson Abigail K. Kawananakoa (WA) Justin B. Clark Cody Jensen

Inkys Zoomer g. Shazoom--Inkys Special Rose, by Special Leader :19.820 Thomas W. Alexander Thomas W. Alexander (OR) James W. Glenn, Jr. Jeff Williams

Corona Candy c. Corona Czech--Six N Candy, by White Tie :19.830 Paul J. Hagger & William Meshover William Jay Meshover (CA) Paul C. Jones Ramon Sanchez

A Scootin Princess f. Heza Motor Scooter--A Viking Princess, by First Down Dash :19.835 Harold, Anita, Joyce & Donald Erickson J & H/A & D Erickson (NM) Donna McArthur Samuel Thompson

Da Edge f. Separatist--Deelish, by First Down Dash :19.860 Robert A. Gentry Robert A. Gentry (TX) Donna McArthur Dennis Means

Counting Fast f. Heza Fast Man--Counting The Dreams, by First Down Dash :19.915 Anita A. Bramlette Anita Bramlette (CA) Dean R. Frey Ramon Sanchez

War Chimes c. First Down Dash--A Tooty Fruity Baby, by Marthas Six Moons :19.915 Abraham, Amestory, Ramich Farums & M&R Shalz Vessels Stallion Farm, LLC/Flying A Racing, LLC Michael W. Joiner Samuel Thompson

Dashin Is Requested g. Dashin Is Easy--Requestalove, by First Down Dash :19.945 Gail Bloom Trust Nancy McCoy (KS) Connie Hall Joel Cruz

Trial Notes: Czech N Out Ashley won the first of two trials by 1/2 length over Royal Bridlewood to post the fastest qualifying time.

Czech Out Winner Of Bayer Legend California Final


LOS ALAMITOS RACE COURSE, CYPRESS, CA—Sometimes you just have to draw a line through a past performance line. That's what Hector Jaime Hernandez did after Czech N Out Ashley finished 10th in his California debut on December 29, 2006. Owner Salvador Salazar had just purchased Czech N Out Ashley from Kevin Hodson and the gelding's first effort did not look too promising.
"We were just getting to know the horse," Hernandez said. "It was a bad race but we felt that there was plenty of room for improvement. We figured out a couple of things that we wanted to work on and one of those was find a way to get more gate speed out of him. We worked hard with him in the gate and he's made a complete turn around."

He sure has. Czech N Out Ashley has now won five of his last six starts at Los Alamitos, highlighted by his solid neck victory over Corona Candy in the Grade 3 $43,110 Bayer Legend California Region Challenge Stakes on Sunday at Los Alamitos. The 4-5 favorite in this race, Czech N Out Ashley covered the 400 yards in :19.54. The victory earned him a berth to the Grade 1 Bayer Legend Challenge Champion on Bank of America Racing Challenge Night on November 3 at Los Alamitos.

Czech N Out Ashley earned $21,555 for the win to take his career earnings to $77,955. He is the first Quarter Horse to win three races at this distance this season at Los Alamitos. The Wyoming-bred son of Corona Czech, a winner of the Dillingham and Buccaneer Beach handicaps, has also won races at 300 and 550-yard races this season.

"It was disappointing when he lost his first race here but when you have excellent trainers like Hector and his brother Erasmo Hernandez anything can happen," said Salazar. "Having said that, I never expected him to run so well. How can you expect it? I've bought two horses from Kevin Hodson and both have worked out well. I also bought PK Moven Easy (a three-time winner for Salazar) and he worked out great. Kevin called me the other day because he has a 2-year-old full brother to Czech N Out Ashley that he wanted me to look at. I think that after this race that baby just got a little more expensive."

Czech N Out Ashley's win capped a super weekend for Hernandez. The trainer saddled Go Love A Lark Go to a second place finish in the Grade 1 Vessels Maturity on Friday and Miss Kittys Bar Bet to a third place finish in the Ed Burke Million Futurity on Saturday.

"I wish I could have won all three races but it's an honor just to be involved," Hernandez explained. "The one thing that I can say about Czech N Out Ashley with confidence is that he has the biggest heart out there. He'll give you his everything every time you send him out there."

Corona Candy, also by Corona Czech, earned $8,622 for running second.

War Chimes, A Scootin Princess, Royal Bridlewood, Inkys Zoomer, Holy Seis, Da Edge and Dashin Is Requested completed the field. Counting Fast was scratched.

Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com